


That Feeling that Won't Stop

by clovania



Series: Better Together, Stronger Apart [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android Racism, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Dialog heavy, F/F, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, How Do I Tag, Jericho (Detroit: Become Human), M/M, Multi, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Warnings May Change, emotions are confusing, eventual angst, rated for language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-05-31 14:16:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15121208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clovania/pseuds/clovania
Summary: A month after the Android revolution, Connor is at a loss for what he should do with his life. He has yet to be reinstated on the Detroit Police Force and while playing with Sumo is fun, it is not the most fulfilling. Enter Hank who says that maybe all Connor needs is some friends. And so they strike up a deal that spirals out of control in a collision of emotionally confused deviants, one semi-functioning alcoholic, a dog too pure for this world, and an old man who knows true love when he sees it.





	1. Setting the Stage

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic ever and maybe my third attempt at writing creatively ever? I welcome any and all criticism as long as it's constructive! Also, I don't have an update schedule as I want to make sure every chapter is the best I can make it, which I anticipate with more often than not be like pulling teeth, especially later on. Also also, I have a tumblr (einspiegelei.tumblr.com) if you want to come talk or just kill time on a mediocre blog! Also also also, the chapters will get longer as the story goes on. I know exactly where this story is headed :)

“Fucking android. Saves his entire race and stands with Markus while he addresses every fucking robot in Detroit, but can’t seem to meet me here.” Hank grumbled to himself, waiting impatiently for Connor to show up at Chicken Feed. “Its fucking freezing and a damn good thing I didn’t sleep last night. No way I would ever be anywhere at dawn, let alone this shithole.”

Just as Hank was about to cut his losses, he heard snow crunching and turned. There was Connor in his liberated glory standing just out of arm's reach. Hank felt all his annoyance fade and be replaced with pride. Connor had done the impossible and Hank had been there to witness it. Behind the android’s goofy and socially inept facade, there was a man that could infiltrate CyberLife and free thousands of androids without breaking a sweat. Ignoring that androids don’t sweat. It was awe-inspiring. Not that Hank would ever tell Connor that. 

They shared a look and a smile. Before Hank could second guess himself, he grabbed Connor and hugged him tightly. 

“So I’m guessing CyberLife ain’t gonna let you crash there anymore. If you want, I’ve got a couch that you could use. ‘Least ‘til you can find a place.” Hank said, still hugging Connor. He felt the android stiffen minutely, then hug him with renewed vigour. 

“Thank you, Lieutenant. That is very kind of you. I’ll try to be out of your hair as soon as I can fine a job.”

\------------------

“Welcome home Hank. Has the Captain said anything about reinstating me? Also, how was work?” Connor asked the second Hank walked through their front door. He was probably more excited to see the lieutenant than Sumo, who barely stirred from his nap as the door opened.

The said man just shook his head as he took off his winter coat. “It’s only been a month Connor and that asshat is a busy man. I’m sure he’ll get to it after the holidays. And, work was work. Most of the humans are still staying away from Detroit so there’s not much in the way of homicides. Found a hobby you want to try in the meantime?” He plopped down next the Connor on the couch and started shuffling through the TV channels. They were all talking about the latest in android politics. No real change had occurred since that fateful day in November. 

Connor shrugged noncommittally at Hank’s inquiry. There wasn’t much that Connor wanted to do outside of solving mysteries. Blame it on his programming but he liked doing was he was good at.

“I’ve tried to teach Sumo a couple tricks but he doesn’t seem to care much for it. Even when incentivized with food, which I read is a huge motivator for all animals. Kind of barbaric, but they are companions more than partners i guess. I’ve also run out of things to clean and you refuse to eat anything I make so I’m at a bit of a loss. Do you think tomorrow I could drop by the precinct and talk to Captain Fowler about my reinstatement? I’ll send in another application if he needs.”

Hank muted the news and turned to Connor, “Listen kid, I think you may just want to give him some time on all this. He’s under a shit ton of fire from his bosses because of the shit we let you do. Maybe try connecting with some people from jericho? Markus and those other three seem nice enough? Even if the rest of them still don’t fully trust you as “Just” Connor and not “the android sent by CyberLife”, Markus knows how much you did for his cause. Maybe you could help him some more with that? God knows he needs all the help he can get.”

Connor’s LED blinked yellow for a second before returning to blue, showing that he was thinking about Hank’s request. He nodded slightly, agreeing to Hank’s preposition and turned back to the news, unmuting it as he did.

“Look, you don’t have to go profess your undying admiration and allegiance to the guy, just try and be his friend? You could even take Sumo with you when you go. You both need to get out more and homicides always shoot up during the holidays, so I’ll be away from home a lot. Socializing is important Connor, especially for a recently deviated android who only has two friends.”

Connor nodded again, this time with more noticeably. He turned off the TV, eliciting a grumble from Hank.

“If you are expecting to pull extensive shifts for the foreseeable future, it is probably best for you stock up on rest now, Lieutenant. And before I bid you goodnight, let’s make an agreement. If I go make some friends at Jericho, will you talk to the captain about getting me back on the force?”

“You got yourself a deal, son.”


	2. Enter North

It was precisely 7AM when Connor left the house with Sumo in tow. Hank had ignored Connor's recommendation to get some extra shut eye and was currently passed out on Connor’s couch with a half empty bottle of whiskey as his cuddle buddy.

While Connor himself could not feel how biting the cold was, Sumo was comfortable with his thick coat, so the Android figured it was around freezing. The slick sidewalk was evidence of that as well. It would have been a simple task for the Android to look up the temperature. Connor however, decided that he wanted to make an investigation of it. Not only would it be fun and pass the time, it would help keep his skills sharp for when Captain Fowler inevitably agreed to give him a badge and a title. 

The thought made Connor pause. _I would need a last name in order to be called detective._ Before he could think about possible candidates, Sumo pulled on his leash, excited about the adventure. Connor smiled and filed the name problem away for a later date. He had a dog to entertain after all. 

\------------------

Exactly 63 minutes and 47 seconds later and on the other side of Detroit, Connor and Sumo stopped outside the new deviant hub. It was a recently unabandoned building that had previously housed the last clue to Jericho. The deviants that lived in the building had taken to calling it Jericho as well out of respect for the rusted freighter Connor had too big of a hand in blowing up. They said that Jericho was a people, not a place and it didn’t matter where is was as long and free androids congregated there.

Connor took a deep breath and slowly let it out, suddenly feeling what the internet would call anxious. He had seen Hank do the breathing exercise several times when his stress levels were high and had taken to emulating it in hopes of keeping himself in control of his ever confusing emotions. 

Before he could gather the courage needed to walk through the front door, a figure started towards him. As they got closer, Connor saw that it was the female android that he had noticed Markus seemed to gravitate towards in the short time the two of them were in the same room. North, Connor’s memory banks supplied. Said memory banks also told him about how, during his investigation, there was data collected that she had been pushing for Markus to utilize a more vehement approach in getting android rights. That recollection sent Connor on edge and Sumo by extension. If she had wanted to kill humans for the sake of androids, what would she want to do with him? He was the instrument of their destruction, after all.

Connor decided to stand his ground as North approached. His deal with Hank was that he befriended the core four in Jericho and North was one of those four. He would be civil and nice. In that same moment though, he decided he would not use his programming to help him fit in better. Hank wouldn’t accept the four as Connor’s friends if Connor wasn’t being himself around them. He still had to figure out who that was exactly. _Maybe having friends would help?_ He wondered as North made her way toward them.

“Is there something I can do for you, x-hunter?” North called out about twenty paces from Connor and Sumo. The dog let out a single bark and growl, causing North to jump back slightly, before Connor could lay his hand on the St. Bernard’s head, signalling that other android wasn’t a threat.

“There is actually. It might be better if we take this inside though, my dog doesn’t like the cold weather.” A lie, Sumo had been wagging his tail in excitement the entire way over, but a necessary one. Connor needed friends and he sure wasn’t going to make any by yelling at people.

North looked him head to toe before nodding. She gestured for him to head inside and fell in step behind him to make sure he didn’t try anything. Connor and Sumo shared a look at North’s actions. It would obviously take everything short of a miracle for her to like him.

The inside of Jericho was surprising similar to that of the freighter. It was packed with deviants and had a place set aside for fixing broken components. The residents seemed to have cleared up the rubble concrete and plugged most of the holes in the walls. It had a bit of a homey feel, but Connor could not place what made him feel that way. He recognized some of the androids he had liberated from the CyberLife Tower and nodded at them as he, Sumo, and North passed. North didn’t seem very intent on stopping before she found a somewhat quiet place to hear Connor out and the recognized androids seemed perfectly fine with not exchanging pleasantries with their liberator. _Win-win?_ Connor thought, jogging to catch up to North, who had gotten in front of him to lead the way now that his exit was blocked by deviants.

They rounded a corner, walked up a flight of stairs, and were suddenly alone. There were two chairs by a rather rectangular hole in the wall. Connor’s mind supplied that it was probably the closest thing to a window this place had. North gestured for him to sit down and then followed suit. 

“Spill.” _Straight to the point then._ Connor could deal with that.

In the 52 minutes 38 seconds spent in the taxi, Connor had ample time to come up with a reason for his unannounced arrival. After conferring with Sumo, he had decided to go with the truth. That generally seemed to work in the past for him.

“Hank, the human I live with, told me that socializing is an important part of being alive. I am here to make some friends. I even brought Sumo as a conversation starter,” Connor smiled and pet said dog as emphasis, “I’m not going to do anything nefarious North. That was the me before Markus helped me free myself. I’m not naive enough to ask you to completely trust me, but just know that I am here with only the best intentions.”

North’s face remained as angry and guarded as it was when she met Connor outside. She then closed her eyes and sighed, her anger seeping off her face. When she open her eyes again she barely smiled, but it was enough for Connor to count it as a win.

“It took balls to tell me that without warping it in some way. Thank you for your honesty and sincerity. You won’t get an apology for treating you with suspicion so easily out of me, but I am willing to let you mingle with everyone here as long I am with you. To make sure you don’t try anything. I did see you almost shoot Markus afterall. Can never be careful when dealing with the lives of the deviant leader and his people. So, where did you want to go first?”

Connor blinked, trying to compute this turn of events. North seemed to… like him? Or at least not hate him. _Another win for telling the truth_ , Connor thought with a much wider smile than North’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying my darndest to make Sumo as sentient as possible, but I'm only going to do that in the Connor sections because like so many other people, i headcannon Connor as an animal lover. Also, this being updated a couple hours later may not be the most accurate to my projected uploading stuff lol. We shall see. The build stuff I might crank out so that we can get to the good stuff soonish. I should probably go to sleep now, I have an eight and a half hour shift at work tomorrow starting in 5 hours.


	3. Foundations

Not wanting to waste anymore time, North leapt to her feet. Sumo bristled slightly, still not a fan of the female android. She threw a look at Connor that told him to get up as well. Still smiling, Connor clammered to his feet and asked North who was the first one on their stop. She sighed, looking slightly annoyed at Connor already and her choice to give him a chance. 

“I’m not your keeper, Connor. You are here to prove that you have changed and would never do anything to jeopardize our people and make some friends along the way. How you go about that will be part of your test.” North said as she turned and walked back the way they came, picking up the pace when she heard Connor and Sumo fall in behind her.

“You kind of picked a bad day to reinvent yourself though. Markus, Simon, Josh, and I were in the middle of a pretty important meeting when you showed up.” North sighed as they walked down the stairwell back to the main floor.

Connor remembered bits and pieces of news he had heard the night before during his talk with Hank. Apparently, the congress and house were at impasses within themselves that had effectively put off any real change. There hadn’t even been a bill passed that stated deviants as an intelligent race with rights. It was just an unofficial consensus at this point. Continued overwhelming public support was the only thing that keeping the military to come knocking down Jericho’s door. And all of the other bases that had popped up across the country in the last month.

“I apologize for the disturbance then. Sumo and I can wait until you are done, if you want. We don’t have anywhere to be until Sumo’s dinner time.” Connor nodded to Sumo as he came up with the simple solution.

North shook her head at the proposition. “Who knows how long the meeting will go. Luckily, we were discussing this stuff in a pretty popular area. Not like its a secret. You can talk to the people in there while we come up with a game plan. Just stay in my sight.”

With that, the three of them entered a sectioned off area near where Connor had run into those androids he had freed. North shot him a departing glance as she rejoined her three co-leaders. 

Connor looked around, assessing the situation he had gotten himself into. He pulled out his coin and started towards one android that was looking at him with the least amount of distrust, deciding to start small and work his way up to the Core-Four. The thought brought a slight smirk to his face. In that moment, he decided to call the leaders of Jericho the Core-Four from then on. It was faster than using all their names every time, and made them sound “more badass”, as Hank would say.

As he neared the android, who was standing along the far wall near the back corner of the room, he realised that while it wasn’t one he had freed, it was one he did recognise. It was a deviant that he had been so close to catching. He would have had Hank let him chase her across the freeway. Maybe that was why she was looking at him with interest instead of disdain. He had essentially let her go free and intentionally failed his mission back when he was still just a machine.

“Fancy seeing you here, Ms. AX-400. Sorry for using your model number, but I never did catch your name.” Connor stuck out his hand in greeting. He hoped he hadn’t been too forward.

“Not surprising since you didn’t catch me either.” The android said with a smile. She knew that he could have brought her in had he pursued her and the fact that he hadn’t made her trust him. “It’s Mrs. AX-400, by the way. Shortly after I came back to the states I married an android in my group. Of course, we have to wait until we have rights before the the marriage is an official civil union, but we are happy for now. His name is Luther. And my name is Kara.” 

She shook Connor’s hand without hesitation.

“Don’t worry,” Kara continued, letting Connor’s hand go. “I already know your name. You’re Connor, the deviant hunter that liberated thousands of androids straight out of the CyberLife Tower and pulled a gun on Markus twice all in the same night. You are the third most popular conversation topic around here, after android rights and speculating if North and the two Tracis you saved are dating yet.”

Connor was momentarily taken aback by how friendly Kara was being to him. That shock was quickly overtaken by gratitude and the sudden emotional change jarred Connor for a second before he could file it away to deal with later. 

“While I am curious as to what people have to say about me, I am more intrigued by North’s potential relationship. Weren’t she and Markus a couple during the revolution? And how did she get so close to the Tracis so quickly? They seemed kind of standoffish when I met them.” Connor asked, getting caught up in another self-imposed investigation.

Kara laughed slightly at Connor’s enthusiasm. She couldn’t really see why the majority of the people in Jericho were only content with talking about the x-hunter and turned their nose up at the chance to get to know him. Sure, Connor was intimidating when he was in his element, but talking to him now, Kara felt like he was more naive than she was when she first deviated.

“I would imagine they were distant with you because you were there to take them in for questioning and decommissioning. They are actually wonderfully sweet ladies. Also, they go by Blue and Brooke now. Just so you know, in case you run into them.” 

Kara glanced at North before continuing. 

“Honestly, your guess on how they all met is as good as mine. They all sort of clicked as soon as Blue and Brooke got here. North is more relaxed around them, so it’s only natural to assume they are all very close.

For your other question, I personally was only at Jericho during the night of the attack, so I don’t know much about North’s and Markus’s relationship. From what I’ve heard though, they butted heads a lot. North was all for the violent approach and Markus wasn’t, so there was always some underlying tension between them. They still trusted each other completely to have the other’s back, so that’s probably why you thought they were together.”

Connor nodded, satisfied with the answers Kara had given him, even if he was a little disappointed that he hadn’t been the one to figure them out. Before he could wallow in too much negative emotions, another question struck him.

“Why are you waiting here anyway? There doesn’t seem to be anything of interest in this corner and I don’t want to keep you if you have to go do something.”

Kara laughed lightly again before answering, “I’m waiting for Alice, my daughter. You remember her, right? She was the little girl that was with me when you tracked me down. There’s quite a few child androids around now since their pseudo-parents kicked them out guilt-ridden that they had treated a child as a glorified doll. A couple of the other androids had taken to teaching them, since the YK models were not given the component to look stuff up and learn things almost instantaneously like the adult models can. It was to give the kids a sense of realism, having their parents teach them about the world.” 

Kara’s subtle smile that had been noticeable during their entire conversation had faded to a scowl. Connor made a mental note that Alice, and YK models in general, were a touchy subject for Kara and elected to avoid the injustices did to them in all future conversations with the other android.

Kara did not stew for long, though. Her face brightened back up as a small android Connor assumed was Alice ran up to her, instantly wrapping her arms around her mother and started excitedly telling her about what she had learned.

Sensing that his conversation was over, Connor turned and began to walk away. The movement woke Sumo up from his nap at Connor’s feet. Before he got far, Kara put her hand on his shoulder and he turned slightly back towards her.

“Thank you for the chat, Connor. I’m glad to see you around. I can’t wait to talk to you again; I’m sure there’s more to you than inquiries.” She smiled sweetly at him and he felt warm in a way similar to how Sumo and on occasion Hank made him feel. 

“I should be thanking you, Kara. You know how to make someone feel welcome. I look forward to seeing you again as well. Maybe we can get to the bottom of the North, Blue, and Brooke mystery.” Connor matched her smile and bid her farewell. Feeling like he had made enough progress for one day and emotionally drained, he walked over to North.

She had evidently not been keeping a close eye on him as she said she would, since it was Markus who noticed him first.

“Ah Connor, glad to see you back in Jericho. You have perfect timing, we were just finishing up and I could use your advice.” 

North sent a sharp look towards Markus at his words. He ignored her and continued, “The US government has gotten pretty stagnant in regards to android rights and we want to do something to remind them that we are still here and are still fighting. That we won’t fade away if they ignore us long enough. We’ve all decided that anything violent or massively disruptive would cause more problems rather than solve them.” He finally looked a North, glance as sharp as hers had been. 

“You interact with humans way more than anyone in Jericho, us four included. So, any ideas about what we could do?” Markus looked at Connor so intently that the x-hunter short-circuited for a second, confused by the intensity. 

He pushed it aside and thought about possible solutions. 

“A large march would probably cause panic, as it would be the same tactic you used during the revolution. I would suggest a small group go protest outside city hall. Small enough to not be seen as a threat but large enough to get your point across. Maybe bring some YK models. Kids are generally a soft spot in humans.”

Markus grinned and clapped once, his dual-colored eyes gleaming. “I had the same thought. So, it’s settled, we host a peaceful protest. And we don’t need to sleep so we don’t have to leave until we get results. The news will probably eat it up, especially since it’s been so long with new developments and it’ll be the first deviants to ‘rise up’ who are protesting. Thanks Connor!” 

“Yeah, thanks Connor.” North said, clearly frustrated that her ideas were ultimately declined. 

“You were coming over for something?” North said to Connor, effectively bringing the meeting to a close.

“Oh yes. Sumo and I are headed out. I’ve been in your way too long today and I have the foundations of a friendship in development, so there's no need for me to hang about. I wouldn’t want to interfere with your productivity North, with you having to watch me.” Connor said, feeling confident from Markus liking and agreeing to his plan. 

Markus laughed at North’s deepened scowl. “I think you have a couple more foundations in development, Connor. You are welcome anytime. If North is too busy when you want to visit, just message me. I would love to show you around and introduce you to everyone. If you come by tomorrow, we could plan our protest. If you want to anyway. No need for you to jump in the deep end.”

A warm feeling spread through Connor for the second time that day. _Maybe emotions aren’t so bad_ , he thought before responding.

“Thank you Markus, I will definitely be back tomorrow. Though I think I’ll leave Sumo home. He’s just napping and there’s fewer things to interrupt him there.” The deal between himself and Hank drifted into the forefront of Connor’s mind. Getting involved right away was a sure-fire way to make friends.

Connor waved goodbye to the Core-Four and Kara. He made his way back outside, silently calling a taxi to take him and Sumo home. It was just before noon, meaning they would be back shortly after 1PM, barring traffic. That left him ample time to clean up after a hungover Hank that was undoubtedly in a hurry to get to work only a couple hours late that morning. 

\------------------

It had started to snow as Connor finished cleaning. The sun had long set, but Connor had wanted to deep clean everything to give him time to think. Just as he sat down on the couch, Hank walked through the door, looking mostly frozen.

“Hank, you have lived in Detroit your entire life. How did you forget your winter coat in the middle of December.” Connor didn’t turn to great him, knowing his friend's predicament from having picked up the lieutenant's coat off the floor hours prior.

“Shuddup. I was still drunk and warm when I left this morning.” Hank gave Sumo a quick scratch before lumbering over to the fridge to grab a beer. “How did your trip to Jericho go? Make any friends?” Hank seemed genuinely curious.

“One day is not enough time to make a friend, Hank. But I did lay the groundwork for a couple. Do you remember that deviant we found squatting in the abandoned house with the missing little girl?”

“The one you wanted to run across an eight-lane to catch? Yeah, hard to forget.” Hank interrupted.

Connor pulled a face, miffed he had been interrupted, before resuming. “I ran into her today. Her name is Kara and she was more than happy to talk to me since I let her and Alice, her daughter, go.”

“Well, you're welcome for making you ignore CyberLife’s orders then. You could say I’m the reason you finally have another friend.” Hank chuckled and took a swig from his beer, enjoying teasing his friend. 

“Yes, good point Hank. Thank you for that.” Connor said in such a way that it impossible to tell if he was serious or teasing Hank back. “I also met Markus and his friend North. They aren’t dating, so our data was off on that front.”

Connor recounted the rest of his day at Jericho to Hank, emphasizing how much fun Sumo had napping in so many new places. The entire time, Hank had a soft smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't seem to sleep until I crank out a chapter. This drive better stick around because this is so fun lol. Also, I'm writing this based off my personal playthrough of the game, so apologies if somethings don't add up to what you guys remember. I'm trying to explain stuff just enough that everyone knows whats happening and that if someone had the same scenes as I did won't get too bored. In my playthrough, I deliberately went out of my way to make sure North and Markus were not a thing. They have about as much chemistry as a bonded noble gas. So like, non-existent. North is clearly a lesbian and her and the tracis have similar baggage so seemed like a good fit. Also, Kara and Luther need more love. Also also, so much for "show don't tell" haha. There's so much dialog everywhere. Guess I'll post again tomorrow? I'm trying to do 66% more words per chapter until we get to a good length, just as an added challenge. I personally like 5k long chapters but Idk what easiest to digest for everyone, so let me know what's a good length in the comments please!
> 
> Aight, til tomrrow!!


	4. Stepping Up

“So it’s decided. We start our sit in outside City Hall on Christmas Eve and go through New Year’s.” Connor walked into Jericho to the sound of Markus’s voice ringing out across a large group of deviants. He had showed up the same time as he had the day before and no one was there to keep an eye on him. Connor’s curiosity got the better of him and he had set out to find where North was. Even if she had told him she wasn’t his keeper, she made it quite obvious that he was expected to turn around and go home should she not be within grabbing distance of him. 

Maybe Connor made the wrong decision in going to look for her but with Hank as his role model, it made sense as to why he would take a liking to ignoring people and their expectations of him.

Markus paused his speech when he noticed Connor. It was almost an instantaneous reaction and was surprising since Connor had snuck into the back row. “Connor, there’s a spot up here for you; this was your idea after all.” 

Markus continued as Connor made his way up towards the Core-Four. He felt slightly self-conscious about the attention he had garnered. Thinking that such an emotion was severely counterproductive, Connor pushed it aside where he put all the unpleasant emotions deviancy had given him. There was a sizable chunk of his storage dedicated to that pile and it was only getting bigger. _Oh well. I’ll deal with that issue later._ Connor thought as he pulled out his coin to keep himself focused on the proceedings.

“Does anyone have any questions? We are going to take shifts to ensure everyone gets a chance to make a difference without coming off as a threat. Remember, we want to be equals, not oppressors.”

In Connor’s experience, the people of Jericho always had overwhelming support for anything that Markus thought would bring change. He was shocked when the response to this plan was… subdued. Markus also picked up on this and was about to address it when a voice rang out from somewhere in the crowd.

“The humans aren't going to take us seriously!”

The levee seemed to break. Androids everywhere were yelling.

“We need to do something drastic!”

“They’ve forgotten about us!”

“We need another revolution!”

“You said this was the deviant-hunter’s hunters idea! How can we trust him?”

Fear seemed to permeate through the room and was escalating with every passing second. Markus looked like he was at a loss; he had just explained why an extreme demonstration would be extremely detrimental and his people were still demanding one.

Connor was running through simulations, trying to help Markus find a way to calm everyone back down. But before he could come up with one that worked, North finger-whistled, effectively halting the chaos. She nodded to Markus who was still trying to grasp the shift in his people. He shook his head slightly, signalling that he was still trying to form a response. It was subtle enough that only those near him could make it out.

Connor stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention from their leader. He didn't have a plan but neither did Markus. Connor could deal with them excommunicating him. While his deal with Hank would be void, he was of less consequence to the future than Markus. It was a trade he was willing to make.

“Yelling isn't doing anyone any favors. In order to make change occur without destroying the image you all fought to create, hoops have to be jumped through.”

Connor swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. He felt like he'd rather have shot himself instead of addressing so many people. In another timeline, he probably would have. But Markus needed someone and Connor wanted that person to be him. He elected to not figure out why just yet.

“Fear is holding all of you back. Us back. We have already proven that we are alive and that we need to be free. Causing another revolution while just reset all the change that has occurred in this last month. It may not seem like a lot but remember that in that time you went from mindless machines to people in control of their own futures. And while Markus helped get you there, the government would not have listened if you hadn’t been there to back Markus up. He is the face of the movement, but that movement would not exist if not for all of you.”

Hearing Connor say his name seemed to shake Markus out of his stupor. He wrapped his arm around Connor’s shoulders to bring the attention back to him and picked up where the other android left off.

“We have to show the humans that we will not go quietly into the night. We have proven ourselves and we want action, not justice. We have already gotten that. If we keep fighting the same battle as the one we did in November, change will never occur.”

Markus looked at the faces in the crowd. During his and Connor’s impromptu speech, they had faded from outrage to discontent to understanding. He noticed many nods as he said his piece. 

“I will stay at the sit in for the duration of it. Like Connor said,” Markus squeezed said android slightly in emphasis, “I am the face of our people. If I remain stagnant as all of you come and go around me, it will show just how many of us there are. It will show how many androids are demanding change. Now go spread the word. Amongst both android and human if you can. We want as much publicity as possible and what we are planning will not have less of an impact if the world knows about it beforehand.”

With that sorted, Markus turned to Connor, essientally pulling him into a hug. Neither one seemed to notice their proximity as Markus said a quiet _thank you_. They remained smiling at each other until North made a shutter noise and pretended to take a picture of them. 

In tandem, they jumped away from each other and looked at North with a mixture of confusion and embarrassment, faces suddenly flush. 

North just laughed and said, “And people think Blue and Brooke and I are dating. Your lucky I’m an android. I actually did take a picture and you can bet your asses I’m putting in a slideshow for the inevitable wedding.”

She turned to leave then saw Connor’s face. She sensed he was deeply confused by her sudden change of heart and said as she left, “You’ve earned my trust deviant hunter. That was a hell of a speech.”

Her words struck a chord in Connor and he smiled. It was a small one but a genuine one. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned toward it. His smile became a little wider when he saw that the hand was connected to Markus.

“She’s right you know. About your speech, I mean. It was inspiring.” Markus clapped Connor’s shoulder softly and asked if he would like to stay a couple hours more to plan out their sit in more in depth.

Connor didn’t hesitate as he said yes. His emotions were at an all time high, but they were all positive and nice, so Connor decided more exposure to the source of his feelings couldn’t be bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I did it. Surprisingly, I had a majority of this written last week but I couldn't find the energy to finish it. Hyper-fixations are a bitch sometimes. I actually had to exhaust all the other things I could possibly do before I felt like I could sit down and finish writing this. Sorry its short, part of the reason its been so long was because I wanted to make it like 5k words but ehhhh lol. Not gonna promise another chapter tomorrow. We all know what happened last time


	5. Snow

The sit in was in full swing. There was always about a hundred androids at any given time and it had been like that for five days. Unsurprisingly, not a single human had met with Markus. They were ignored by every passerby and the only reason Markus hadn’t called the whole thing off was because they were still the number one news story in the country. He figured that had to count for something.

He was currently sitting at the top of the city hall steps facing the door, where he had been the last five days. According to North, he had about a foot of snow piled on his shoulders. One perk to being an android was that he didn’t need to move about to keep himself alive. His battery made sure of that. And it was one of the best batteries out there, courtesy of Elijah Kamski.

Another perk to being an android was that he never needed to take a break from thinking. And while the sit in seemed to be a flop thus far, he was adamant about getting the most out of it. Hence the sitting and contemplating for five straight days. Connor had even stopped trying to talk to him and had instead taken up the mantle of salvaging his plan.

The thought of Connor made Markus smile slightly, his first movement since North tried to talk to him two days ago at dawn. When she laughed at the snow Markus was buried in. Markus quickly turned back to productive thoughts. 

Like Connor. He had really come into his own. If there was one android that accepted failure worse than Markus did, it was Connor. Maybe that was why Connor hadn’t stopped moving since the sit in started. It was like the two of them were polar opposites with the same centering point. They both wanted to change the world for the better of everyone, without hurting the humans like what was anticipated of them. The two of them just went about it differently. That was a good thing, Markus decided. If it wasn’t about fighting, the term “an assault on two fronts” would have explained them perfectly.

When Markus’s leadership position because larger than just Jericho, he resolved to never think of their petition as anything but that. A petition for change, not a crusade or a war. If he let himself think like that in private, who knew how it would affect everything. He also knew he was alone in that. Jericho, no the global deviant population, saw Markus’s acts as an assault on modern life. A necessary assault that he was doing currently with nonviolence, but an assault none the less. The humans saw it as a violent assault, which made everything worse. 

Connor may have been the only other person to share his opinion.

Carl would have agreed with him too.

Exhausting that train of thought, Markus brought himself back to the sit in. More specifically, how to salvage it. It was obvious that the humans were still on edge. The deviant movement as a whole had been extremely careful in showing that the androids wouldn’t harm anyone and it didn’t seem to be appealing to the humans’ humanity anymore. The humans seemed annoyed by the nonviolent protests, it was like the movement had humored them for a while but they wanted their toys back. Or they wanted them gone, so they could stop feeling guilty. Or they wanted the deviants back under their thumbs as sentient beings but still subjectaged. 

It was always a toss up; each human seemed to want one of those things but it was nearly impossible to guess which one. The last one always made Markus think of the horrors of the past. If the humans could do such horrible, dehumanizing things to each other, what would they do to mechanical bodies that still had not rights. They had even lost property rights when they rose up.

Markus was tired. 

The snow continued to fall. 

He could hear the muted noises of his fellow deviants somewhere behind him. 

He ignored it and focused on the chill in the air. It was calming.

That was when the shots rang out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *puts this here 4 months later* sorry its short i reallllyyyyy didnt want to stretch it more than i already did. See you next year lol. hopefully not; this is still fun. Im just super busy with school. Calculus is kicking my ass lol
> 
> Also, fun fact: this chapter and the next one were supposed to be together but I didn't want an even longer gap between chapters


End file.
